Review Blog

Oct 08 2015

The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale

Ill. by LeUyen Pham. The Princess in Black bk 2.Candlewick
Press, 2015. ISBN 9780763665111
(Age: 5-8) Recommended. Fantasy. Chapter book. It's Princess
Magnolia's birthday and just as her guests were due to arrive for
her birthday party, her monster alarm went off. She has to rush to
the broom closet to transform herself into the Princess in Black,
mount her faithful steed Blacky and go off to fight the monsters who
just want to eat goats. When she has finally dealt with one monster
and is all ready to enjoy her birthday party, her alarm goes off
again and again and she has to use all her ingenuity to hide her
secret from her guests, especially Princess Sneezewort.
I am a fan of Shannon Hale's stories and particularly love the idea
of the Princess in Black, whizzing off to rescue the goats, being
bold and daring, while fooling everyone with her perfect pink
princess persona. The pictures are very amusing and LeUyen Pham
shows an increasingly disheveled Princess Magnolia, as she returns
from her rescues.
This is a perfect chapter book for the newly independent reader,
combining humour, a great storyline and witty illustrations to
ensure a fabulous read.
Pat Pledger